The initial concept for the creature was to have a tall man wear a costume with a mask and bodysuit. Cast for this role was 'Dez', the actor/stuntman who also plays the busdriver in the movie. To this end, a clay model of the mask was constructed by the key make-up FX artist, Jerry Pesce.

On the left is a shot of the clay model. Before creating the final mask, the length of the teeth and other small changes were made.

A clay model of the claw was also made so that the actor could wear it as a glove. To give you an idea of size, when worn, a human hand would only come up midway into the palm area!

The mask (left) was molded and initial painting and texturing was done. After numerous experiments on camera tests, it was finally decideed not to go with traditional methods and instead create the creature on the computer.

Above is an early version of the creature modeled in Lightwave 3D by key 3D artist, Anthony Rozycki. Notice how closely it resembles the 'mask' version of the creature. Later, more sketches were made that changed head structure, placement of the neck, and removal of the upper horns.